Simplicity
by CoriRedde
Summary: AU. "There's just nothing good in this world for me." Lucy's heart broke hearing that from Natsu. She slapped him. "What about your son?" She cried. "What about me?" She wouldn't let him suffer anymore. He'd saved her over and over again, now she would save him even if it took more than true love's kiss. A modern love story for everyone's favorite couple! Mature. Sex.
1. Part 1

**Welcome to my first ever modern AU. I'm very excited and very nervous about it, but I know you will love it. Underneath the pain and plastered on smiles of the cast of Fairy Tail is everyone's original personality, I promise. Feel free to leave a review, and enjoy the world of Simplicity.**

Simplicity

A Fairy Tail FanFiction

by CoriRedde

**Part 1**

_Dear Lisanna,_

_How are you? How's heaven treating you? I'm sure you're smiling and laughing up there. Are you getting plenty of chances to dance? You always wished you could be a famous dancer. I'm sure God__loves to watch you dance. I always did. Are you comfortable, I hope? I know how much you loved that fleece blanket your sister made you. Mirajane is doing well, by the way. She has anew boyfriend now. I haven't met him yet, but his name is Laxus Dreyar, a rich business man. He works for Fairy Tail Banks. Actually, he's the grandson of the bank's founder and next in line to own it. Mira says he's a ruthless man in business, but she really likes him. Elfman is good too. He's currently working for Fairy Tail as well as a sort of Mail Room Supervisor. He's happy and getting good pay, so he tells me. Mira is already trying to set him up with Laxus Dreyar's secretary, a woman named Evergreen, I think. I guess i'm avoiding the real issues, huh? Clayton and I are fine. Don't worry about us. I've decided to move to Magnolia so he can be closer to his aunt and uncle. My father is, of course, nowhere to be found, but the money he left me is enough for Clay and I to get by until I can find a new job. I quit working for Daphne, you know. I hated not having time to spend with our son. Clay likes all the extra time we have to spend together. He really misses you though, Lisanna. He has nightmares of the night you died. So do I. I'm the bodyguard, you crazy woman. I was supposed to die before you in the line of fire or something. I miss you so much. Not a day goes by that I don't miss you. However, I think this fresh start in Magnolia will be good for me and for Clay. We won't ever forget you, though. I will always love you._

_From your husband with love,_

_Natsu Dragneel_

* * *

"Daddy?" Small hands pressed down on the sleeping man's leg. "Daddy? Wake up!" The hands trembled a little, small fingers curling into the material of his slacks. "Daddy!"

Natsu's head flew up from his desk, eyes flicking around the room in search of impending danger. His hand went immediately for the nine-millimeter lying on its side next to his unfinished tax papers. A giggle sounded next to him; his body sagged in relief. Natsu turned his head to the left to meet the bright eyes of his son. The little boy's face was decorated with a lopsided grin. His messy pink hair only added to the undeniable truth: Clayton Dragneel was his father's spitting image.

"Hey, kiddo," Natsu said tiredly, "What's wrong?" He dropped a large hand on the boy's head, ruffling his already wild hair. Clay's smile slipped off his face, the tears he had held back during his father's spaz attack returning to slide down his cheeks.

"I had a bad dream," he sniffed. Natsu slid his chair back and opened up his arms.

"C'mere, buddy." The little boy scrambled immediately into his father's lap, clutching onto his shirt and rubbing his nose against the soft fabric of Natsu's dress shirt. He cried a little, but that softened into hiccups as Natsu rubbed the boy's back and murmured reassurances to him.

"Shh, it's ok," he whispered into his son's hair, "It'll be ok."

The boy twisted to look up at his father with wide eyes and a trembling boo lip. "Did Mommy die because of me?" Natsu couldn't stop his recoil, his face making the most horrified and confused expression.

"What?" He demanded, incredulous. "Who told you that?"

Clay rubbed his eyes. "In my dream, Mommy said that- that if I was never born...th-then she..." The boy dissolved into tears again. He threw his arms around his father's neck and sobbed. Natsu immediately snatched the boy into a bear hug, nuzzling his nose against his son's temple.

"Oh, Clay," he murmured, "listen to me, ok?" He stood from his seat, starting to pace his home office a little and bounce the kid to calm him down. It had worked when he was just born (though, Natsu blamed his nerves for making him bounce his son), and it still worked now. "Your mom did not die because of you, ok? It was not your fault. It would have happened at some point with or without you." He tugged his son around to he could look him in the eye to make sure his son knew he was being serious.

"Clay, I am so grateful that your mom and I had you. I love you so much, understand?" Clay nodded his head and bit his lip to make himself stop crying. "Now, it's..." Natsu spun around to see the clock, blinking in disbelief at the hands that proudly displayed three o'clock in the morning, "really time to sleep. So let's go to my room, ok?" Clay gave a weak smile, his tears finally dried.

"I can sleep with you, Daddy?" The hope in the boy's voice was only too cute.

"Sure thing, buddy." With his son wrapped tightly in his arms, Natsu made his way across the moderately sized apartment and shouldered his way into his room. His heart clenched the way it usually did when he walked inside the room he used to share with his late wife. Remnants of Lisanna Dragneel, formerly Strauss, lied in their obscure corners where Natsu had hid them so they wouldn't disappear. Pictures, her wedding rings, and the childish, small child-sized, dragon plushie Lisanna had bought him when she broke the news of her pregnancy to him were the last pieces of her she had let him keep. Ever the good-hearted girl, most of her things had been given to charity due the wishes of her will.

"Here you go," Natsu murmured, settling Clay in between the sheets and flicking off the lights. The kid immediately popped his thumb into his mouth, mumbling goodnight to his father around it. Natsu ran a hand through his son's hair and leant over to kiss his forehead.

"'Night, big guy," he whispered back, "see you in the morning." Clay murmured nonsense into his pillow, his body already succumbing to sleep with his father's safe presence beside him. Natsu straightened up with a sigh, and started on the buttons of his shirt. It had been a long day for him, dealing with overly peppy real estate agents with clients willing to pay less than he wanted, doing his taxes, and finalizing his self removal from his former employer. To be honest, he wasn't going to miss working for Draco Inc., even if the company was dragon themed. Daphne was quite possibly the clingiest employer (paranoia) and she had no real need for his services as hired muscle.

With a sigh, Natsu leaned out into the hallway to flick off the rest of the lights. He thanked God for Fridays as he shuffled his way back to his bed. Tomorrow (technically later that day, seeing as it was three in the morning) was Saturday, and that meant sleep, lots of it. He unbuckled his pants and kicked off his socks. His pajama pants lay crumpled up at the foot of his bed. Natsu barely managed to pull them on before collapsing next to his son and conking out.

He managed a quick prayer for happiness before sleep claimed him.

* * *

All too soon, Natsu's cell phone was screeching out the ringtone Clay had ever so kindly set for him (a song Natsu was sure kids his son's age should not be listening to) and snatching the last dregs of sleep from him. The man grumbled his way into a standing position and grabbed his dress pants none-too-gently from the floor. His phone fell from the pocket and skittered across the floor, the battery popping out and heading off in the other direction.

"Grg, mornings," Natsu breathed, shuffling sleepily around his room to retrieve the phone, battery, and back of the phone. He pieced it back together and grumbled at how slowly the smart phone (Lisanna had always joking called it a mediocre phone. He agreed with that assessment) reloaded itself.

When the screen finally got the home page, the missed call flag flared up in his notifications. Natsu tapped on it and recognized the number as the office line for the agent selling his house. He punched the call back button with way too much enthusiasm.

The agent picked up on the first ring.

_"Whitney Lan's office, this is Whitney speaking. How may I help you?" _Natsu winced. Her coffee-intake was way too apparent in her chipper tone.

"Uhh...yeah. This is Natsu Dragneel calling you back...?"

"_Oh! Yes! Mr. Dragneel, I have fabulous news for you," _the agent chirped, _"An offer came in on your apartment late last night at asking price. I have the contract all ready and..." _Another ten minutes on the phone and Natsu felt a weight lift off his shoulders. He'd sold his home; a new adventure was starting.

On that note, he wanted breakfast.

No longer tired, the pink-haired man hurried into his kitchen and started on the one breakfast food he knew he would never mess up: chocolate-chip pancakes. He was humming to himself when Clay make his way into the kitchen, his nose in the air as he followed the smell of food.

"Hey, buddy," Natsu said, watching his son pull one of the counter's high stools around so he could watch his dad cook out of the corner of his eye.

"Hi, Daddy!" Clay smiled, rubbing at his face. Natsu smiled back, flipping flapjacks onto a plate. Clay's eyes went wide at the trick just like they always did.

"How many do you want, Clay?" Natsu asked, pouring more batter into the skillet.

"Umm...three! Like Mickey Mouse!" The kid held up three fingers, two on his left hand and one on his right. Natsu laughed.

"Mickey Mouse?" He questioned, "You think you can eat that much?" Clay crossed his arms, pouting.

"Yes!" He said, "I'm a big boy!"

"That's right!" Natsu agreed, carefully shaping the batter into three overlapping circles. Clay watched the batter cook, grabbing a handful of chocolate chips from the bag on the counter and stuffing them into his mouth when he thought his dad wasn't looking.

"I saw that," Natsu sing-songed, grabbing one up and popping it into his own mouth. Clay just giggled, showing his chocolate stained teeth. That kid had an unhealthy love for the stuff. In fact, the first pancake he had flipped onto his son's place was already almost gone with only a few chocolate smears on Clay's face to show for it. Natsu sighed, shaking his head.

"Here," he said, leaning over to pour the kid a glass of milk. "Drink that and then you can have another plate." Clay, a voracious eater, bounced happily at the idea and downed the drink. He had almost finished his last few sips when bacon grease popped on Natsu's arm, making the man yelp. The sound started up a laughing fit from Clayton. The rest of his milk instead came out of his nose. Natsu joined in laughing when he saw that. He really would have a boring life if not for this kid. They (whoever _they _are) weren't kidding when they said children were bundles of joy. Clay was living proof.

* * *

"Daddy?" Clay tucked his hand into his father's, his small feet tripping to keep up with Natsu's stride, "Where are we going?"

"We are going to go see your Aunt Mira-whoa!" Natsu hoisted his arm up, just barely stopping his son from face planting on the sidewalk. "Watch your step, buddy!" Natsu laughed and pulled the kid onto his back. He could understand Clay being tired. They'd spent the night in a hotel in downtown Magnolia. Natsu had a meeting with one of the city's many real estate agents to pick out an apartment for him and his son later that day, but for now, he and Clay could rough it at a high-class hotel. Bodyguards were well paid, after all. The boy would want to take a nap later anyway, and he was well-behaved enough to handle watching stupid cartoons or anime on the television or his computer if his father wasn't back at the time Clay woke up.

Natsu was old-fashioned. He wanted to move into their new home with their stuff ready to move in with him. The moving trucks wouldn't be in Magnolia for two more days.

His son scrambled on his back a little, trying to get comfortable. He giggled and cheered as if on a pony as the two make their way down the streets. "Really? We're gonna see Aunt Mira?"

Natsu nodded, making a left turn onto a rather busy street. "Mhm. If you ask nicely, I bet she has something for you. But _only if_ you ask nicely." Clay bounced from his spot on his dad's back.

"Ok!" He agreed. "Real nice, promise!" Suddenly, his small hand flew out beside Natsu's cheek. The trained guard tilted his head just enough to avoid the would-be-accidental hit. "Whoa! Daddy, look at that one!" Natsu followed the line off his son's finger towards a beautiful skyscraper with gleaming plexi-glass windows. Standing out from the uniformity of the rest of the city, the building's architecture was reminiscent of medieval guild halls.

"It's so cool!" Clay decided, his face lit in a happy grin.

"That's Fairy Tail Banking Corporate building, Clay," Natsu explained. "That's where we're going."

Clay blinked hugely. "Really? Aunt Mira works there?"

Natsu shook his head. "Your aunt's a model, silly brat. Why would she be working in a bank?"

"Uh...I don't know," Clay shrugged, clearly confused. Natsu reached one hand back to pat his son's head. The kid grabbed his fingers in indignation. He scrunched up his nose even as he laughed at his dad. Natsu finally stopped walking at the side of the building's doors. He had to wait a moment outside the doors as some people filed out. He let Clay down to his feet, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Clay crossed his arms and pouted.

"Can we go in now?" When the doorway was clear, Natsu finally gave the go ahead, leading his son into the building. A few seconds of watching Clay look around with a dropped jaw and captivated eyes ended quickly when the kid suddenly dashed off.

"Aunt Mira! Aunt Mira!" The kid cried, running toward the a white-haired woman with the same blue eyes as his mother. Natsu sighed but was unable to hide his smile. He followed his mini-me at a much more respectable pace.

"Clayton!" The woman smiled, leaning down with her arms open. "Come here, you!" The boy leapt right into her arms. Mira made a sound like she was straining to hoist the kid up.

"Ugh! You're getting so big!" She laughed, spinning Clay around. The pink-haired kid laughed.

"I'm a big boy now!" he proclaimed as Mira lowered him back to the ground. "Daddy says you have something for me!"

"Did he?" Mira said, feigning surprise. "You're turning out just like your father with that forward attitude."

"Yeah, but," Clay said, "I'm going to be bigger than even Daddy someday!"

"Good luck, little man," Natsu joked, approaching with his hands shoved in his slacks' pockets. "I thought I told you to _ask nicely, _Clay." The kid smiled sheepishly. "And hi, Mira." Mirajane kept on her bright smile. She removed her hands from her nephew's before pulling Natsu into a tight hug.

"It's great to see you again," Mira whispered. "You look good." She softened her grip, forcing her brother-in-law to look at her from arm's length. "Are you doing okay?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, we're getting on alright." His gaze slipped to his son with a combination of warmth and worry. "It's hard, but we're healing. And you?" Mira's smile didn't quite reach her eyes when he asked that. The pucker of worry in her eyebrows wasn't smoothed.

"I'm fine, Natsu. I miss her, of course, but everything happens for a reason. I don't know God's plans, Natsu," Mirajane said everything with a voice that yearned to crack with emotion. "but I do know my sister's death was not your fault." A sniffle rose up between them. The two adults nearly snapped their necks in reaction to Clay's trembling lip. Mira leaned down next to him immediately, settling one of her hands on his shoulder and digging in her pocket with the other.

"And I know it wasn't your fault either, Clay," she consoled the child, pulling a piece of candy from her pocket. "Here, since you asked so nicely." Clay sniffed again, unwrapping the Hershey's Kiss. He popped it in his mouth before his face split into his father's signature grin.

"Now that's the expression I like to see!" Mirajane laughed, waving her hand in a don't worry about it gesture as Clay mumbled a thank you around his mouthful of chocolate. She straightened up to face her brother-in-law. "Laxus will be down soon" she said matter-of-factly, "We're going out to lunch across the street. Care to join us? It's Japanese." The bribe worked as intended. Natsu's love of sushi was well known to the Strauss siblings. Clay nodded his head vigorously too, having inherited his father's taste for the Japanese cooking.

"You fight dirty, Mirajane," Natsu said, unable to say no with his son's puppy dog face on, "I'll take you up on your offer." Clayton cheered, pumping his fists in the air.

"Up to no good again, Mirajane?" A new voice interrupted their small gathering. Clay gasped and moved to cling to Natsu's leg, burying his face their and looking at the newcomer with shy eyes. Natsu turned as well as he could with his kid on his leg to see a tall, broad-shouldered man with blonde hair and a rather impressive scar on his cheek. Mirajane smiled cheekily at him.

"Laxus, dear," she said with an air of friendly banter, "Don't make up such stories about me." She tapped his chest with a scolding finger, but went onto her tip-toes to kiss the man quickly. Natsu heard Clay's disgusted but quiet 'ew' and restrained himself from laughing.

"I think it's me who is hearing this gossip about the 'Demon Mirajane', honey," the blonde man returned, his left arm dropping comfortably around the woman's waist. He extended his right hand to Natsu.

"Laxus Dreyar," he introduced himself, "And I assume you are Natsu Dragneel? Mira's told me next to nothing about you. Will you be joining us for lunch?"

"It would be my pleasure," Natsu responded, careful to keep his formal face on. Laxus laughed, starting to lead the way out of the corporate building.

"No need to be so formal," the man said as they made their way out of the building. "I'm not your boss. Not yet, anyway." Natsu held his son's hand as they walked across the street, confusion evident on his face.

"Yet?" He repeated.

"Yes," Laxus confirmed, holding open the door to the restaurant. It was a nice place with fairly authentic decor and shining hibachi tables. "Mira tells me you were head of security at Draco, Incorporated. One of the safest companies to work at, according to Sorcerer's Business Weekly. Daphne tells me you were one of the company's worst losses." Natsu ducked his head in modest thanks, inwardly thinking about how much he would not miss working for that crazy woman.

"_Kon'nichiwa,"_ a Japanese hostess greeted them, pulling four menus from the hostess' stand. "Four of you?" She asked.

"Yes," Laxus responded, "Thank you."

"_Arigatou!" _Clay jumped in suddenly, bowing slightly to the hostess in form to Japanese customs. She blinked in shock; her reaction was delayed. Clay's bright smile faltered for a second and he looked at his father for approval. Natsu smiled, giving his son a thumbs up.

"_Nihongo o hanashimasu ka?" _The hostess recovered, leaning down to the small boy as she asked him if he spoke Japanese. Clayton's smile returned full force.

"_Hai!" _He shouted, happy that the lady could speak with him in the language his parents had always used at home.

The woman leaned down a bit, bowing slightly. _"Obocchan ga kodomo no menyuu o ga imasu ka?" _

_"Onegai!" _

The waitress smiled, pulling a kid's menu from behind the stand at Clay's enthusiastic response and nodding to the three adults. "If you could follow me." They did so, Clay pulling on his father's hand all the way.

"Did you hear me, Daddy?!" Clay asked, energy practically radiating off of him. "Was my Japanese good?" Natsu nodded, feeling pride in his chest. After they were seated and the hostess headed off to bring them water, Laxus Dreyar dutifully picked up the conversation.

"That was very cool, kid," he said to Clay. The boy blushed. "How old are you?"

Natsu's son held up six fingers, mumbling 'this many' in answer. Laxus whistled. "Wow, you're old." Clay pouted, sticking out his tongue.

"Am not! You are!" And though Natsu scolded him quietly, the three adults still got a chuckle out of the spirited words of the kid.

"Where'd you learn to speak Japanese?" Laxus continued. Mira leaned toward his ear to whisper the kid's name to him. The businessman nodded gratefully. "Clay," He tagged on.

"Daddy taught me," Clay said slowly, glancing at his dad. This made the blonde man raise his eyebrow.

"You're Japanese?" Shock was evident in Laxus's voice, but as he observed the pink-haired man across from him, he could locate a few features that spoke of Asian descent. Natsu's eyes were angled and his skin tone was a dead giveaway if one cared to look.

"Half," Natsu responded, "On my mother's side."

"That's how my sister and he met, Laxus," Mirajane interjected, lacing her fingers through her boyfriend's, "Lisanna was studying Japanese at the local community college and Natsu was a tutor there, being a native speaker and all."

"I was wondering," Laxus said. "And my sincere apologies for your loss."

Natsu just shrugged, watching Clay scribble all sorts of colorful lines across his menu. "Sorry won't bring her back. We've just got to move on. That's why I decided to move here. I want Clay to be close to his mom's family." Mirajane felt happiness flutter in her heart. Elfman and she were so happy to have their nephew close too.

Laxus nodded in understanding. "That brings me back to our conversation from before." Mirajane flashed Natsu a smile and a wink. Really, the woman was only too helpful sometimes. "My current head of security, a man named Gray Fullbuster, is getting married soon. He wants more time off so he can be with his new wife instead of the hectic schedule I, admittedly, put him on. I understand you also want to be able to work decent hours but have time for your son. I would be happy to have you as a co-head of security for the corporate building. We do run a bank on the first floor after all." Natsu was speechless. Everything seemed to be looking up. He could nearly feel Lisanna's smiling face next to him at the offer.

"I'll pay you a good rate," Laxus continued on a nudge from Mirajane, "I'm certainly willing to match your salary from Draco, Inc. What do you say?"

"Do it, Daddy!" Clay encouraged. And, as usual, Natsu couldn't say no to his son.

"Thank you very much, sir," he said. Laxus's smile was very pleased.

* * *

"Clay?" Natsu called from the kitchen, his arms elbow deep in sudsy water, "Are you ready to go?" The boy bounced out of his room with his backpack on and stuffed with pencils and paper. His polo shirt was, naturally, inside out and had Natsu laughing as he drained the sink and set the last of the cleaned dishes on the drying rack.

"C'mere, brat," he sighed. There was no real venom in the words. "Let's get you fixed up." He set the backpack on the ground and tugged his son's shirt back over his head. Clay shivered dramatically.

"Daddy!" he whined, "I'm cold!"

"Then you," Natsu countered, placing the shirt back over his son's head, "should put your clothes on correctly." Clay giggled before lugging his backpack back on again. Natsu stood and unrolled the sleeves of his dress shirt. He buttoned it back up to neck and slipped his tie around his neck. When he had finished the knot, he looked down to see Clay holding his suit jacket up to him.

"Here you go, Daddy!" Natsu took the coat and slipped it on easily.

"Thanks, buddy," he said. "Ready for your first day of school?" The boy nodded excitedly. He'd been going through a whole bunch of firsts in a short span of time: first time moving to a new city, first time sleeping in a new home (the apartment Natsu had decided on was perfect: An open air kitchen, a living room with space for their huge TV set, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and, surprisingly, an outdoor balcony. Clay had loved that), and first day of first grade at Magnolia's Southern Cross Elementary.

The school was a modest building with about fifty members of the staff and faculty. Natsu had been told that as of this year, kindergarten through fifth grade included, the school would be the learning place of almost six-hundred students. Natsu's mind was boggled. he didn't even know that many kids existed in this city! And there were four other elementary schools in the area.

But the young father wasn't worried at all as he dropped his son at the school. He watched him run straight to a petite, kindly-smiling young woman named Levy McGarden. Natsu had met her at orientation, and he knew her happy but calm personality would go perfectly will his son's own hyperactive state (he had to blame genetics for that one).

"Miss McGarden is going to be the nicest, bestest teacher ever!" Clay had exclaimed to him on the drive back to their apartment after they had registered and met her. Natsu had only agreed. He was delighted that woman would be his son's teacher. She was very intelligent, he could tell. So, without too much fear (he wouldn't kid himself. He was always worried for his son. Hazards of being a dad), Natsu took off for his own first: first day as Co-Head of Security for Fairy Tail Banks Corporate.

Then, his teeth ground together. He had done some research, phoning in favors from friends in similar lines of business to him, on his Co-Head Gray Fullbuster. The man rubbed him wrong regardless of the fact that they hadn't formally met. There were just some things that made Natsu doubt his integrity when he discovered them. For example, Gray used to work as a male stripper. The guy probably had herpes or something. His FaceBook page revealed he was engaged to a woman named Juvia Lockser, also a former stripper at a Burlesque style club. Birds of a feather flock together. For the sake of having a job though, Natsu could suck it up and not punch the current head of security's face in on first sight.

He parked his red Aston Martin DBS (he loved that car way too much) two spaces away from any other cars in the employee lot. He rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, and head inside.

"Natsu Dragneel!" The shout came from across the lobby. Laxus Dreyar was standing there with a dark-haired man who wore a lazy smirk (that may have been an effect of his droopy eyes). Natsu dutifully strode over to his boss.

"This here is Gray Fullbuster, your Co-Head of Security," the blonde explained briefly. "I have business to attend to, so I'll be leaving him in your hands, Gray." He shook Natsu's hand, congratulating him and welcoming him to the Fairy Tail Banks team. Natsu thanked his sister-in-law's boyfriend professionally. As the future CEO started to walk away, he suddenly stopped and looked directly at Gray.

"And if you see my sister, tell her I'd like to see her immediately."

"Sir," Gray responded lightly, giving a solemn nod of his head. He held out a hand for Natsu to shake. "Gray Fullbuster," he reintroduced.

"Natsu Dragneel," Natsu copied. Their handshake was firm, both of them exerting a good amount of force. Natsu didn't know what it was (besides the stripper thing), but he really didn't like this guy.

"I guess I'll show you around," Gray said, "Get you comfortable. I hear you worked for Draco, Inc."

"Yeah," Natsu answered the small talk as he and Gray set off for the elevators, "Glad to be out though."

"I understand man," Gray said, pressing the call button, "I used to work for Daphne too." Oh. That was why Natsu hated this guy. He's one of his former co-workers. Didn't he come to Magnolia to start fresh? Where was the justice?

"She's psychotic," Natsu said, summing it up. He stubbornly kept his conversation with Gray Fullbuster from getting too close and personal.

"No kidding," Gray agreed. "A real paranoid bitch." The elevator dinged. "Alright. Let's get this show on the road." Natsu rolled his eyes. As high and mighty as this guy may think he is, Natsu already knows all the tricks. So, the tour was over with very quickly, the floor plan memorized, and their work schedule all accounted for within the next four hours.

"You'll meet the whole team eventually," Gray said as they exited the elevators for the second time back into the lobby. Natsu had met quite a few people in suits while on his tour with Gray. He was pleased when Gray listed off their credentials to him, very pleased indeed. "For now..." The dark-haired man's voice faded out. Natsu followed his line of vision to a blonde woman entering the building.

"Aw, damnit. Gimme a sec, I gotta handle this," Gray said, his tone giving Natsu the impression this woman was about as pleasant as bamboo shoots underneath the fingernails. "Come on."

"Who is she?" Natsu asked as they ambled toward the leggy blonde.

"Laxus's sister," Gray answered curtly, "She's a bit of a wild card. Lucy Heartfilia." That was surprising.

"Heartfilia?" Natsu questioned upon hearing the last name. Gray nodded like it was old news. Well, to him, it was.

"Heartfilia-Dreyar," he explained, "She was adopted onto the family by Makarov Dreyar, Fairy Tail's current CEO." Natsu and Gray approached Lucy, Gray with friendly greetings.

"Hello, Gray," she responded. Her voice was light and honestly sweet. It reminded Natsu of his late wife's tone, even if the voice was completely different. "Where's my brother?"

"Laxus is in his office waiting for you," Gray said. Lucy's lips turned down in a small frown before her whole face lit in curiosity. She really was very pretty.

"And who's this?" She asked Gray, gesturing to the guy beside him. Natsu held out his hand.

"Natsu Dragneel," he introduced himself, "I'll be Co-Head of Security with Gray starting from now."

"So you're the guy Mira was so excited about," Lucy said, displaying her intelligence with simple grace. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She placed her own hand into Natsu's, and they shook hands.

"Well, ciao, Gray, Natsu," Lucy Heartfilia waved, stepping towards the elevators to Laxus Dreyar's office, "I'll be seeing you around." Natsu watched her walk away, ignoring Gray's stupid chatter about whatever. The blonde woman's gait was very confident, but also predator-like. Despite the apparent cool and calm front, though, Natsu could see a jittery quality to her. He wondered what activities this woman got up to. He couldn't imagine any of them were legal. He found himself going through the rest of his day with Gray (who he had given the nickname Ice Princess) wondering about that woman, Lucy. She hadn't appeared to be older than him. In fact, he wager she was younger. She also had had a sort of frenzy to her that told him something in her immediate life was going awry. He couldn't even begin to think what sort of behind the scenes she'd gotten wrapped up in. She had just seemed very innocent. He doubted that was the case. With a sigh, Natsu shook his head and cleared his thoughts of Lucy and said his goodbye to Gray.

For now, he needed to go get his son from school.

* * *

**Review, please. What did you think of Clay?**


	2. Part 2

**Sorry for the late chapter! I hope the length makes up for it...seriously.**

**Everyone is so nice! I love your reviews! Makes a girl feel loved, for sure! Anyway, I'm glad that people support my story enough to say "Continue!". I was so nervous about the reception for this one. My usual style is fast-paced, action and sex AUs...and I really like writing in present tense. It was odd for me to switch back to past tense for this, but I'm glad everyone who read it liked it (at least, I know of the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed that you liked it...everyone else...no idea).**

**Enjoy and Review!**

**AND...Happy Easter! Rejoice for the King is risen!**

* * *

Simplicity

A Fairy Tail FanFiction

by CoriRedde

**Part 2**

_Dear Lisanna,_

_Just checking in. Clay and I have settled well back into Magnolia. We've got a really nice apartment. It's a bit too much of a bachelor pad sometimes, but I know you wouldn't have minded. It's got a kitchen that's open to the living room and two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Whoever lived here first did some really nice renovations. Hardwood floors. Can you believe it? I've started working at Fairy Tail Banks as a co-head of Security there. Mira got me the job. Don't worry, I thanked her. Sent her those weird candies she likes. Clay drew her a picture. Speaking of him, Clay loves his new school. He won't stop talking about his teacher. Her name is Levy McGarden. She's very intelligent. I like her. I think she's a good match for our son. He's growing up so fast, Lisanna. You wouldn't believe it. His Japanese if getting very good. He spoke with a waitress the other day with no prompting from me. It was flawless. I know you would've been proud. After all, that's why we met, isn't it. I'd go back to those days in heartbeat sometimes, just to stop us from getting drunk that one night, but everything happens for a reason. I suppose Clay is a good enough reason for me. I can't imagine my life without that kid. Then again, Lisanna, I used to not be able to imagine my life without you. Now, I'm forced to live it each day. I don't understand why you couldn't tell me it was bothering you so bad. Why were such extremes necessary? I won't bring up more for now. I don't think I can handle it. Anyway, I miss you still. And I love you._

_Your husband, with love,_

_Natsu Dragneel_

* * *

Natsu banged pots and pans around as he pulled out ingredients from the cabinets in his new apartment. The sound of small feet running toward him had a grin growing on his face. His kid was just too predictable sometimes.

"Daddy!" Clay complained as he entered the kitchen, "You're being too loud!"

Natsu couldn't help but laugh at his son who stood with his arms crossed as if trying to discipline his father. This only made Clay pout more. Natsu dropped another pot noisily onto the stove top. He watched Clay's face go from annoyed and whiny (where he got that trait from Natsu had no idea) to excited and curious.

"What're you making?" Clay asked, going to the kitchen island to pull his stool around to the countertop where his father had spread out ingredients for one of the best foods known to man: Mom's Spaghetti. Natsu dipped his finger in the sauce and smeared it on his son's nose.

"Your mom's world famous spaghetti and meatballs," he announced, throwing his arms wide as if proclaiming a prize. Clay laughed and clapped his hands, cheering. The spaghetti may not have been the most intricate of dishes (and it certainly was not world famous), but it was one of the few dishes Lisanna had actually been adept at cooking. The woman was a reformed vegetarian when she decided to learn to cook from her sister. Though she couldn't hold a candle to Mirajane's cooking, she had perfected spaghetti and meatballs to a point where Natsu couldn't bear to order it from any restaurant, no matter how high-class.

"Can I help?" Clay asked, reaching for the wooden spoon. Natsu passed it to him.

"Sure, bud," he agreed, snatching a towel from where it hung on the oven's handle, "Keep stirring until the clock say seven-oh-two, ok?" Clay nodded enthusiastically. Natsu dipped the corner of the dishtowel under the faucet and returned to rub at the drying tomato sauce on Clay's nose. The kid scrunched up his nose in distaste, shaking his head side to side to avoid the towel's scratchy material. Natsu grabbed his son's chin and forced him to stay still. Clay still squirmed even as Natsu wiped away the sauce on his face.

"Relax, kid," Natsu joked, tossing the towel back through the oven handle, "Just cleaning your face. Now, stir." Clay did as his father asked, moving the spoon in steady circles around the sauce pan, sometimes switching direction. He gradually started moving the wooden stirring spoon faster and faster, creating a mini whirl pool within the sauce.

"Daddy!" Clay laughed, "Look-it! Look-it!"

"Just a second, bud," Natsu said, setting down the noodles, oil, salt, and sausage. He dumped it all on the counter, counting off that the spices he still needed to grab from the spice rack in his head. He was rolling up his dress shirt sleeves when he turned back to see what Clay was doing.

The spoon wacked his cheek.

Natsu froze, feeling the sauce that had splattered on his face start to drip down his neck. He blinked.

"Clay..."

"Sorry! I-it slipped out of my hand!" The boy screeched. "I'm sorry, Daddy!" He started to tremble, his lower lip quivering and a few tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. "S-sorry!"

Natsu reached over and turned off the strove, the warmed sauce not getting the chance to reach any dangerous temperatures.

"I'm not mad, Clay," he murmured. The boy stopped, watching his father approach him in slight terror. Natsu's hand dipped into the sauce; Clay's eyes zeroed in on it. "But I'm going to..." He leaned down close to the boy's face, identical eyes locked.

"Get back at you!"

And Natsu flung a handful of sauce into his kid's hair. Clay coughed in complete shock, his mouth hanging wide open. Natsu laughed, moving to wash his hand off. He had just turned on the faucet when he felt sauce slam into his back. He turned slowly, watching his son try to hide a giggle and look anywhere but right at him.

"Oh," he started, turning of the faucet, "you're going to get it now!" He spun around, grabbing another handful of the sauce and smearing it down Clay's arms. The boy screeched, flailing his arms around to avoid his father. He leaned over and reached into the pot again, flicking it off his little fingers onto the front of Natsu's shirt.

"You brat," Natsu said, his voice low despite his smile. Clay gave him a wide-eyed stare that turned into a huge peel of laughter as Natsu picked him up, hands hooked under his armpits. The kid's shirt rode up, showing his belly. Natsu lowered him a little and blew a raspberry on his tummy.

"Daddy!" Clay squealed, kicking his legs to try and break away. Natsu would not be foiled by a kid however, and through him up a little catching him. Clay laughed all the way. "I get the last move!" Clay's claim was followed by him reaching for with sauce-stained hands and rubbing it on his father's face, coating his nose, cheeks, and the fringe of his messy hair in sauce. Natsu went to throw the kid again, but Clay stopped him.

"No, Daddy! I said I get the last move!"

"Ok, ok," Natsu conceded, slowly placing his mini-me back down to stand on his own two feet. He looked around the kitchen, grimacing at the sauce spattered around the stove and the floor from their little fight. "Alright, bath time for you." He swooped his son back up under one arm and carried him to the bathroom. He set the kid down again and turned on the tap, setting it to just the right temperature.

"Since we ruined dinner, I'll order pizza, ok?" Natsu said, moving to leave and clean up the kitchen. Clay nodded, tugging his shirt over his head. The predictable happened next.

"I'm stuck!" Clay cried, his voice muffled by the collar of his T-shirt. Natsu sighed, kneeling down to help his son out. He pull the kid's belt free next.

"Ok, bud, you all set?" Natsu asked, wadding up clothes in his hands as Clay stripped out of them. The stains from the red sauce were set deep into the fabrics. He checked out his own shirt in Clay's bathroom mirror. It was another lost cause, his pants too.

"Can I get in now?" Clay asked, squatting down beside the tub. He poked his finger in the water, testing it. He stood with a satisfied grin and went to grab his bath toys from under the sink.

"I'll come back and help you in a minute, Clay," Natsu said after watching his son drop himself unceremoniously in the bathtub. Clay shouted an affirmative, already grabbing one of the boat toys and 'driving' it around the water.

"And turn off the water before it gets too full!" Natsu called back as he left. The mess in the kitchen didn't look half as bad now that he was standing apart from it. Some hot, soapy water and a few dishrags would do the trick. So Natsu set to work, gathering up the needed supplies and dropping to his knees to start with the floor. He hummed a little as he wiped up the sauce decorating his kitchen floors.

Then, from the bathroom, Clay belted out some lyrics about his one true love.

Natsu couldn't help but burst into snickers at the kid's enthusiasm. It was really funny to listen to his random word choices when he couldn't remember the original lyrics. He stood up with the towel freshly dunked in the water (it had long since turned pink due to the influence of sauce). He cleaned up the counters and spent a solid three minutes on the stove. He dumped the pot of spoiled sauce in the sink and put away the pans he never got the chance to use. He snatched his cell phone out of the dish in the middle of their small table.

_"Hi, you've reached Magnolia's Hometown Pizzeria. How can I help you?" _

Natsu wandered toward the closer of the two bathrooms in the apartment. Faint splashing sounds reached him. "Yes, I'd like to order a large pepperoni and sausage pizza." He could hear the worker's slight hum as she tapped the order into the computer.

"_Is that half-sausage and half-pepperoni or all over?" _The girl asked.

"Just two toppings all over, thanks," Natsu said. "And a coke." The girl read off the price.

_"And is that pick-up or delivery?" _

"Ah, delivery, please," Natsu said, laughing slightly to himself. If he went to pick up pizza now...he'd get a lot of rude stares and questions. He rattled off his address and the girl surprised him with announcing a ten minute delivery. He felt a sense of urgency overrun him. He needed to get Clay out of the tub now.

He dashed into his son's bathroom. He had to blink at Clay before he laughed once. The kid had covered himself in bubbles.

"Hey, kiddo," Natsu said. Clay jumped, spinning in the tub to offer his dad a bright smile. He lifted up bubbles and attempted to put them on his chin.

"Look! I'm Santa Claus!" Natsu knelt down beside him, suddenly conscious of the sauce dried on his own cheeks.

"Are you ready to get out?" Natsu asked, grabbing his son's towel. He knelt on the edge of the tub and pulled the drain.

"Yeah!" Clay responded, standing up. Water flew everywhere, but Natsu didn't mind. Better water than red sauce (regardless of the fact that was his fault). He held up the towel.

"Alright. C'mon." Clay shivered as he climbed out of the warm water. He jumped into the towel, allowing his father to wrap it around him. Natsu rubbed him down, flicking the kid's nose. "Go get your pj's on. Then you can play with my phone or something until food gets here." Clay nods enthusiastically, wandering across the hall into his room. Natsu walked past it, heading to the end of the hall where his room was situated. He tossed his white dress shirt in his trashcan, deciding not to bother attempting to save it. His pants followed after he had the hot water running. He climbed into the shower, sighing at the sensation of heat pounding on his back. He scrubbed at his face and rubbed vigorously at his head. He had to laugh at the red running down him from the would-be spaghetti sauce. He'd just stepped back out of the shower when he heard someone knock on the door.

"Daddy!" Clay yelled from wherever he was, "Someone's here!" Natsu dried himself as fast as he could, tripping over his towel to grab his boxers and sleeping pants.

"Ye-yeah...don't...don't answer it, Clay!" He yelled back, "I'm coming." Natsu stumbled out of his room to the front door, his son standing there waiting in his own pajamas and bath robe. He then wrenched the door open.

"Hey," he greeted casually, "Sorry about that. How much do I owe you?" The teenage girl standing there with the pizza box in her hands didn't answer. She seemed frozen. Natsu, by way of giving her a moment to think through his question or grab the receipt or something, turned to his son.

"Clay, grab my wallet from the table." The boy went off, scrambling into his chair so he could reach into the dish and fish out the clip his father kept his cash in. He hurried back.

"Here you go, daddy."

"Thanks, bud," Natsu said, ruffling the kid's wet hair. "So how much?" The girl with the pizza gulped, her eyes flicked around a little.

"Uhm...eleven-fifty-six," she stuttered, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. Natsu ducked his head to pull out a ten and a five from his wallet, carefully trading the two bills for the pizza.

"Th-thank you," the girl said, pocketing the money. Then she turned and scurried down the hallway.

"Have a good night!" Natsu called after her, closing the door. He turned around to see his son cracking up on the floor. "What's so funny?" Natsu asked. He set the pizza on the table and went to grab two paper plates.

"Daddy didn't put a shirt on!" Clay giggles madly, pointing at his father. Natsu looked down. He shook his head.

"You, little man, are no help," he said. Clay just shrugged. Natsu rolled his eyes at his son before dropping into his seat to crack open the pizza and poor them each a glass of soda. Clay had stuffed his face successfully and was drifting off to sleep in his own chair when Natsu finally finished off the pizza. He chuckled at the kid. He stood and moved around the table to grab Clay before he fell splat on the floor. The boy was fully asleep in his arms before he made it to his room. With some difficulty, Natsu managed to maneuver the sheets up and around his son. He kissed Clay's forehead, running his fingers through the boy's messy hair before he flicked the lights off and the door shut.

"See you tomorrow, buddy," he whispered.

"...love you, da..." Clay garbled through his half asleep haze. Natsu made a mental note to get the kid to brush his teeth extra well in the morning. Natsu then readied himself for bed, brushing his teeth and staring at his reflection while swishing around some Listerine. He tossed the extra pillows on the floor and pulled the sheets over himself. Resting his head on his arms, Natsu stared up at the ceiling.

"Hey, God," he said quietly, thinking through the most troubling thing on his mind, "How's Lisanna doing up there? I miss her. Could you tell her that for me? Also, I want to know if she's happy for us, Clay and me, that is. We're doing fine just the two of us, but sometimes I wonder if I should looking out for a Mrs. Right, you know? Clay needs a mom...or, at least, does he? I don't know. I lift that up to you, God." Natsu blinked a few times, imagining Lisanna lying next to him, her small hand on his chest, her silver hair tickling his neck, her goodnight kiss. "Amen."

His dreams included a black sky and his a late wife slowly fading away. He called after her, but there was no response.

* * *

"Dude, you look like shit," Gray greeted when Natsu wandered into their office the next morning. "Girlfriend giving you trouble?" He gestured to the small table underneath the window where a pot of coffee and a fresh mug were resting. Natsu nodded gratefully and headed toward the small gift.

"My son, actually," he answered, lifting the pot and pouring out a mugful of black caffeine. "Woke me up at four in the morning all ready to go to school." He rolled his eyes. "Can't wait 'til I have to kick him out of bed for school." The sarcasm was lost on Gray who was gaping openly.

"You have a kid?"

Natsu froze mid-sip. "Yeah. Did I not tell you?"

Gray shook his head. "Didn't come up. How old?"

"Clayton's six. Just started first grade." His answer shocked Gray again who scrutinized his co-head of security from head to foot.

"What?" Natsu asked, annoyed. He gulped down some of the coffee, ignoring the slight burn.

"Aren't you only twenty-five?"

"Yeah. What of it?" Natsu dreaded what was coming up next, but he knew it had to happen. Well, Gray would find out eventually anyway.

"So you stayed with the girl you knocked up since then?" Gray whistled. "That's impressive."

Natsu smiled sadly, an expression that Gray blanched at. It was not a look he expected to see on the man even if he had just met him yesterday. "Yeah, we did. Married her even." The second part was to cover up the first in hopes that Gray wouldn't notice. But the black-haired man was a good head of security.

Gray picked up the small nuance in Natsu's speech. "Did?" So Natsu steeled himself.

"Lisanna died last year."

Natsu could literally see the gears clicking together in Gray's head at the mention of his late wife's name. the word's came out of the other man's mouth in a slow, broken manner as he pieced together how Natsu Dragneel came to be a part of this company.

"Lisanna...was Mira's sister..." He said, pausing, his eyes carefully trained on Natsu. He had already learned he was a passionate man ruled by his emotions. He didn't want to have the man attack him or anything (not that he'd mind a good fight). "...who had a kid when she was eighteen...and so you and Mira are related..." Gray stopped talking, his voice shaking a little. He grabbed his own coffee mug and took a giant gulp before fixing Natsu with a serious, but not pitiful, stare.

"And here I am freaking out because I'm getting married, and you're a single parent!" Gray clapped Natsu on the shoulder. "Listen, you ever need something" -he pauses, thinking through that- "something within reason, let me know, ok?"

Natsu was so grateful for Gray's ability to just up and jump out of a heavy conversation and onto something a little lighter. He scoffed.

"Yeah right. Like I'd ever ask something of a stripper like you," he said, tossing back more coffee. Gray growled.

"Former stripper, pink freak," he ground out. He wasn't really mad though. Natsu shot him a smirk.

"Once a pole dancer, always a pole dancer," the newest member of the Fairy Tail Banks team countered, plopping down in his desk chair. He booted up his computer, the new technology blinking a welcome screen. Gray felt a vein pulse in his forehead.

"I. Never. Pole. Danced." He enunciated each word carefully, moving to get in Natsu's face. He was about to make another point when he saw his co-worker's desktop. A young boy who looked nearly identical to Natsu Dragneel was smiling at him from the screen, a huge chocolate bunny held in his hands. Half of the thing's left-ear was missing, and the brown treat was smeared on the boy's hands, but Gray found himself half-smiling at the picture.

Then, he noticed the background of the photo. Sitting in a lawn chair in an Easter Sunday dress was a woman appearing like a younger Mirajane Strauss with shorter hair. She was laughing, a basket of Easter eggs resting near her feet. It was the first time Gray's heart had felt heavy in a long time. He didn't know how the man next to him did it, but he was inspired by the strength he had to keep living despite the tough life he'd apparently been put into. Natsu stiffened next to him.

The phone rang.

Natsu grabbed it. "Natsu Dragneel," he answered in a clipped, professional tone. Gray took the time to wander back to his own desk and start on some work. He still had tapes to review from a few weeks ago. He was briefly jealous of Natsu who didn't have to do work from before he joined the company.

"Of course," Natsu said, nodding along with the speaker on the other end, "I'll be right there then, sir." He dropped the phone back into its cradle. He stood and picked up his jacket, slipping his arms into it and checking his reflection in the glass window.

"Where're you going?" Gray asked when Natsu passed him.

"Laxus Dreyar's office," he answered casually, "Assuming I need to do some W-4 forms or something for him." Gray nodded.

"Take the stairs, man," he said, "the elevators on this side of the building smell weird." Natsu stopped walking suddenly, turning back to look at Gray with an eyebrow raised.

"Do I want to know?"

The man laughed. "Probably not." Natsu blinked a few times before shaking his head. He walked away then, closing the office door behind him. Due to Gray's advice, Natsu took the stairs a few flights upward, coming out in a short hallway that opened into an open floor. Clearly, no expense had been spared. The floors were polished hardwood, the dark color making the few color accents in the mostly black and white paintings hung on the walls pop. The couches were dark leathers, and a fake fireplace popped merrily. In the middle of the room, a large round bar stocked with the most expensive liquors sat surrounded by barstools. Natsu was unsurprised to see Mirajane standing inside, rag in one hand and glass in the other.

He knew from experience: the girl could mix drinks like no other.

"Hi, Natsu!" She called, exiting the bar and setting down her project.

"Mira," the head of security responded lightly. "Don't you ever work?" He joked at her. Mirajane Strauss laughed then, tossing her long silver hair behind her.

"I'm a model, honey," she said, sass and happiness in her tone, "They only call me when they need me. And besides," -here she winked at him, making him question the literal truth behind her following statement- "Laxus pays me for my services behind the bar."

"Uh-huh," Natsu conceded, "Speaking of him, Laxus called me to his office...?" His sentence trailed off, asking the location of his boss without voicing the words. Mirajane nodded toward the back wall where a set of double doors were nestled in a mural of a fey revelry. Natsu smirked: Fairy Tail indeed. He said a word of gratitude to his sister-in-law, making to move to enter the office. He was stopped by the Sorcerers' Weekly model.

"He's with his sister right now," she warned, "so just wait a few minutes before knocking. Ok?" She tacked her close-lipped smile onto that. Natsu flashed her a grin in response.

"Sure thing, Mira." But even as he agreed and slipped to stand beside the doors leading to Laxus' personal office, he noticed the worry in Mirajane's posture and voice. He remembered Gray 'dealing with' the young woman known as Lucy Heartfilia-Dreyar. He thought about the way she walked liked a predator. He stopped a few feet from the door, resting his back against the wall and shoving his hands in his suit pockets. Words seeped through the cracks in the doorframe.

"_...not the case, Lucy." _The deep bass was obviously Laxus. He could hear the distinctive click of a woman's heels pacing back and forth. _"...you know this...told you...get out of it."_

A high, melodic voice then burst out, anger evident in the tone. "_I can't do what they want! Not alone!...so help me, Laxus!" _As the voices raised and lowered, Natsu's ability to make out the words became jeopardized. The more passionate words tended to be said in louder voices, and it was those parts that the man could hear well.

_"...Damnit, Lucy! I won't go back to that! It was hard enough when..." _The sentence, the end unheard, ended with a heavy sigh. Natsu almost jumped when he heard hands behind slammed on a desk.

_"He won't let me go! I'm nothing more than...drugs may sell well, but...with this and that I feel like I'm going to break..." _Natsu's mind whirred, trying to solve the mystery of the woman speaking with his boss. The only thing he knew for certain was that she was definitely involved in some illegal business. Drug-trafficking was a high possibility, but she herself didn't have the air or look of an addict. Granted, he'd only seen her once before, but he was adept at seeing such things in a person on first sight.

_"...something you have to do alone, Lucy. I'm sorry."_

_"Bullshit! You're just scared!"_

Laxus growled then, making Natsu's ears prick up. "_...have a right to be...and you...I won't do it." _ He heard Lucy Heartfilia-Dreyar gasp out a choked sound. He heard three angry clicks of heels on polished floors.

"_You're being selfish," _she accused, her voice clearer now that she was nearer to the door. Then it sounded like a chair, probably Laxus' desk chair, was rolled back forcefully from a person standing suddenly. There was a softer tap of Lucy Heartfilia-Dreyar stepping back from intimidation. Laxus' next words were forceful.

_"I'm being smart, Lucy! And you would do well do get the hell out of your fantasy. I've helped you out enough, but no more. I won't do the loan."_

_"But, Laxus-!"_

_"Get out, Lucy. We're through with this conversation."_

The heels started tapping again. Natsu had the sense to move before they could open right into him. He stood out of Laxus' sight and watched the blonde woman storm out. She slammed the door behind her and continued marching. She snatched a bottle of Yeager from the bar and kept walking. Her shoes echoed her fury and her stride was tense. She exited the opposite side that Natsu had come in, leading to the 'clean' elevators instead of the staff use only ones that, according to Gray, smelled.

He heard a sniffle. His head snapped toward he bar.

"Mira?" He asked gently, moving toward the middle of the room. The silver-haired woman waved him away.

"I'm fine," she whispered. The arm she had wrapped around her midsection spoke against her statement, but Natsu wouldn't argue. He figured she had a pretty good idea about the conversation that had just taken place and was aching from its result.

"Ok, then," Natsu said, straightening. He turned on his heel and approached the door. He knocked, giving the impression that he had just arrived. He heard a small grumble and the sounds of reorganization. After a few moments, Laxus' voice called out through the door.

"Come in."

Natsu did so, stepping into a spacious office that was lined with shelving, set with elegant furniture, and overlooked the lake on which Magnolia had been built.

"Ah, Natsu," Laxus greeted. He was a bit off, seeming smaller than his huge build, but Natsu pretended not to notice. The relief in Laxus' eyes was a thank you enough for his efforts. The blonde man gestured to one of the seats opposite his desk. "I just a few questions for you about scheduling you and Gray."

Natsu sat, cocking his head to the side ever so slightly. "Not to be offensive, but shouldn't that be something for us to work with Evergreen?"

Laxus nodded. "Normally, yes, Ever does handle these things for me. However, as my heads of security, I want to personally be informed about when each of you will be here. So." He picked up a pen and uncapped it, a sign for Natsu to start describing his schedule.

"Well, I do have a son, as you know," he started, "He's in first grade. I've been relying on myself to get him to and from school, but I know there are daycare options. I suppose that can apply to Saturday as well, but there is one thing I ask." He paused, waiting for Laxus to catch up his frantic scrawling on a memo.

"And what is that?" Laxus asked after a moment.

"I will not work on Sundays," Natsu declared, keeping his voice steady but not authoritative in his request, "I'd like to have that day for church and time with my son." Laxus nodded along with Natsu's words.

"You're in luck," he answered, "My girlfriend might just about kill me if I deny you that much, so Sundays free it is. However, I'll have to schedule you for some full days, of course. Can I alternate Saturdays between you and Gray?" Natsu blinked in disbelief at his boss' willingness to concede to his words. He felt a grin sneaking onto his face.

"That's fine with me," the co-head of security said, "And I'm sure Strip- err, uh...Gray would be too." Laxus couldn't quite hide his snort at Natsu's near use of his co-worker's former profession as slander. He could see the mechanics between the two men would be interesting, but their competitive nature would lead him to owning the safest company in the world.

"Let me know the days you want during the week," Laxus ordered, writing down the Sunday arrangement, "An email should suffice unless you just desperately want to see me."

Natsu grinned. "Email it is."

"Alright. Thank you. That's everything." And with that dismissal, Natsu made his way back to his office, descending the stairs again and wondering just where Mirajane disappeared to. The woman hadn't been present after his short meeting with Laxus Dreyar.

Gray's head snapped up when Natsu entered.

"I've told you to knock-oh. Natsu."

"Gray," the pink-haired man responded coolly, laughing in his head at Gray's near scolding. So far he had learned that the members of the security team were a rowdy but loyal bunch. Apparently, Gray had tried to instill a few rules such as knocking, but nothing had come to fruition.

"What'd the big man upstairs want?" The dark-haired man asked casually, typing away at his computer. "And I just sent you some footage of Alzack and Bisca running the night watch, if you want to check it over."

"Thanks," Natsu murmured, opening his email, "Laxus was just asking about my schedule and how we wanted to work that out." Gray nodded, pausing in their conversation to press the send button for whatever email he was working on.

"Right, well, must be a pain. What about your kid?"

Natsu sighed, rubbing his temples, "Actually, I have no clue. I can't always work just when he's in school. I need to find a sitter in the area who can get him from his school or get him involved in something. Even then, I'd still need to get him there..." Natsu groaned. Gray glanced over at him.

"Dude, being a single dad sounds like hell," he said, tactless. Natsu returned his look.

"It can be tiring and frustrating," Natsu said truthfully, "but it's also best thing in my life. You're getting married right?" Gray nodded then, and he was unable to quash a happy smile sneaking onto his handsome face. Natsu remembered those days, the excitement and nerves of nearly having the girl he loved his for eternity. Until, of course, she died. he shook his head to clear those thoughts and focus back on the point he was making. "When you have kids, man, you'll understand." Gray sat mulling it over a moment. Then he slammed his hand on his desk.

"That's it!"

Natsu gave him a wary sort of look. "What?"

"Juvia, my fiancée," Gray added at Natsu's slightly confused expression, "Has a cousin who's an elementary school teacher. I'll bet she knows some people who can solve your 'who will watch the brat?' issue." He leaned across his desk the other way to grab his phone, opening it up to dial his fiancée's number. "Her name is Levy McGarden, my fiancée's cousin, anyway." He added as he tried to remember the third digit of Juvia's number. Natsu laughed once.

"That's some coincidence," he said, "Levy McGarden is really who you're going to ask?"

Gray was a bit hesitant, unsure of Natsu's attitude and apparent giddiness. "Indirectly, yeah."

"That makes everything easier," Natsu explained himself, lifting his arms up to lace his fingers behind his head. "Levy is my son's teacher. I'll ask her today. Thanks, man." Gray sat back in his chair, feeling a little stumped. This guy really had a knack for being cheery. It was almost...unreal. He shrugged. Oh well. Back to work.

But, first thing's first.

"Oh, Natsu, one more thing."

Natsu turned in his chair to face his co-worker, interest and annoyance on his face. Gray continued without invitation.

"I've requested that the security team and a few others come on Saturday to the company gym, third floor, you know it?" He said. "We're having a sort of tournament. Want to see where our new co-head of security matches up. It starts at ten."

Natsu laughed for real then, a full bellied laugh.

"Gray, I am so going to wipe the floor with your face."

Gray smirked, shooting back another insult mixed with a jibe. This was the type of conversation he could handle, and Natsu was the perfect insultee.

* * *

"Daddy!"

The squeal of a little boy snapped Natsu's attention to his son where he stood with his teacher. He was running late today, so the miniature version of himself and his teacher were some of the last few people outside waiting for rides. Natsu hurried toward them.

"Sorry, I'm late," he said, scooping his son up into his arms when the kid jumped at him. "Work and all." He kissed Clay's temple. "Hey, kiddo. Have a good day?" Clay nodded ambiently.

"It's fine, Mr. Dragneel," Levy McGarden said, "I understand. These things happen." She shrugged. "Well, that's all my students, so." She gestured towards the doors, letting Natsu know she planned to leave.

"Ah, wait, Miss McGarden," Natsu called out, setting Clay back on his feet. The petite woman blinked.

"Yes?"

"My co-worker, Gray Fullbuster, your cousin's fiancé told me to talk to you about some baby-sitting for my son...?" He trailed out his words, the last lilting up into a question. Levy smiled brightly.

"Of course!" She said. She pulled her phone from her pocket, opening up her calendar. "I know just the woman to ask if you just need after school." Natsu nodded. Clay held his hand beside him, hugging his father's leg with his other arm. Natsu smiled down at his son while Levy McGarden took a short time to send a message. Then something reminded him.

"And Saturdays, too," Natsu said, "Every other."

Levy clapped her hands, her bright pixie-like nature apparent. "I can watch him on Saturdays!" She said, practically glowing. Clay's eyes widened.

"What does that mean?"

Natsu kneeled down, one hand ruffling Clay's hair. "Clay, I have to work some Saturdays. Would you like to stay with Miss McGarden during those days?" Clay froze for a second before his own face split into his father's grin.

"C-can I?"

"Of course you can, sweetie!" Levy McGarden assured him, bending down to offer him a genuine smile. Clay cracked a huge grin and bounced on the balls of his feet, exclaiming his happiness about the arrangement.

"I'll get you in touch with the lady who I think will be perfect to watch Clay," the petite teacher continued, already flipping through the contacts on her phone. "Can I send her over...when?"

Natsu rubbed the back of his head for a second, thinking through his schedule. "Ah...I have lunch at one o'clock. Will that be ok?"

"Sure, I'll tell her," Levy said.

"Thanks," Natsu said, beaming as he traded his cell phone number with his son's teacher and her address. "Can I ask her name?" He added as an afterthought as he stowed his phone. Levy laughed.

"Oh, you can't miss her. Red hair. Her name is Erza."

For some reason, warning bells started ringing in Natsu's head. He'd heard that name before. The question was where?

True to form, a red-head with a strong will entered Fairy Tail Banks Corporate Building at one in the afternoon and demanded to see a one, Natsu Dragneel. He left his office to greet her, shocked by her firm handshake and authoritative voice. He had been expecting someone a little less potent in character to watch his son, but not too far into their conversation, Natsu began to understand Levy's (she had insisted they drop the formalities) reasoning. Even better, he agreed with it!

"Do you have a few hours?" Erza asked when introductions were out of the way. Natsu said he'd have to make a call. Over the security teams headsets, Natsu sent a message to Gray, asking to trade afternoon shifts. The man agreed easily enough, hoping for the chance to take his fiancée out to a nice dinner. Natsu turned back to Erza.

"I'm clear until six," he told the woman. She smiled then. She nodded her head back toward the door and hitched her bag higher on her shoulder.

"Come then," she said. And that was how Natsu found himself enjoying a French cafe's take on the classic tiramisu and watching Erza eat three servings of every strawberry dessert on the menu. Though the conversation started out as small talk (the weather had never been so interesting), the participants soon turned to discussing watching Clayton after his school was let out.

It was then that Erza revealed she owned a dojo where she taught not only karate and a few other martial arts, but the ancient ways of the samurai as well.

"When Levy called me, she said she had a kid who is energetic and bright and speaks fluent Japanese," Erza Scarlet described, an interested look painted on her visage, "I think it will be the perfect opportunity for him to learn." Natsu agreed whole-heartedly, being a former international champion himself.

"I'm sure he will love that," Natsu said, "He always says he'll win my trophies from me someday."

Erza leaned forward suddenly, a challenging twinkle in her eye. "Trophies?"

Natsu leaned back, lacing his fingers behind his head. "China, UK, and Detroit. China twice."

Erza froze suddenly, her mouth pulling into an excited smile. "Wait...you're _that _Natsu Dragneel?" Natsu froze this time too, studying Erza and her red hair. The last name seemed very familiar.

"Hold on..." He murmured, thinking it through, "You said Erza Scarlet, right?" The woman nodded. "The _Titania_?" Erza's smile was wicked.

"That's right, _Salamander._"

Natsu laughed, reaching his hand across the table again for Erza to shake. "Nice to meet you," he joked. The woman shook his hand, laughing right along with him.

"Care to come see my dojo?" She offered, standing. She tossed a few bills on the table as a tip. Natsu added another two. He was excited to step onto a mat again. It'd been a long time since he'd last felt the slight spring and the urge to dig his fist into a dummy (Gray Fullbuster not included). They detoured along the way, Erza driving. Clay was unsure of the blue mustang his father was a passenger in, but when he saw Erza's black gi in the backseat, he was in and buckled in a flash.

"Who are you?" The kid asked as they drove, Erza weaving in and out of traffic like a madwoman (Natsu had to focus very carefully on his breathing. He was ok as long as he was driving, but as a passenger, his childhood motion sickness sometimes bothered him.)

"Clay..." Natsu warned, not daring to finish a full reprimand for fear of tossing his lunch. Clay hung his head in apology.

"It's alright," Erza Scarlet said, punching Natsu's shoulder lightly. Natsu stifled his groan. Clay blinked in shock at his father, having never seen the man take a hit from anyone ever. "My name is Erza Scarlet, but you can call me Erza-_sensei." _Clay gasped.

_"Sensei ka?" _He said back, slipping into the language that his father had always spoken at home. Erza laughed. She replied easily, informing the child of her profession and who she would be to him in the near future: elder sister. Clay asked his father what that meant, exactly. Natsu told him Erza would be watching him when he was at work late.

"_Honto ni?" _Clay exclaimed, excited to have a new friend. Erza took a wild turn, pressing way to hard on her car's sensitive accelerator. Clay screamed in excited, bouncing as if the drive was a roller coaster. Natsu, on the other hand, closed his eyes and breathed deeply, pretending his son wasn't kicking the back of his seat. One more swerve and a screech of tires, and Erza pulled into a parking spot at the back of a building.

"We're here!" She announced. "Get out."

Natsu couldn't comply fast enough. His feet were on the asphalt the second after Erza's final word, the door wrenched open on the first.

Clay climbed out behind him, laughing. "Are you ok, Daddy?" Natsu nodded weakly, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. He flashed his kid a smile a smile.

"Yeah, I'm good."

Erza selected a key from her key ring, sliding it into the door and opening it to a blast of air conditioning. Clay scurried past his father, racing inside behind her. His eyes opened wide as he took in the white walls lined with belts and the huge case of trophies and pictures of champion teams.

_"Tadaima," _Erza called into the dojo to announce her arrival. She slipped her shoes off, dropping them on a mat by the back office.

"_Excuse my intrusion," _Clay called in, taking off his own shoes and pardoning his intrusion. Natsu echoed him as he too stepped into the studio. He followed his son and Erza across the blue mat of the dojo, totally not suspecting the cat-like screech and blur of a person to go flying across the floor.

"_Okairi, Er-chan!" _The person, female exclaimed, welcoming the red-head back to her workplace.

"Milliana!" Erza laughed, catching the woman around her waist and spinning with her. She gestured to the two versions of the same person, pink-haired and dark-eyed. "Meet Natsu Dragneel" -she nodded in response to the brunette's wide, questioning eyes, saying that yes, this man was the Salamander- "and his son, Clayton Dragneel. Natsu, Clay, this is my sister, Milliana." She paused to allow them both handshakes and a few words of pleasurable introductions. Milliana gave slight bows to them both.

"Natsu has asked me to train his son when he has work," Erza informed, her arms crossed. "When I have another class, I think Milliana should watch him at our house. We live above the dojo." She turned to ask Clay his opinion on the plan she and Natsu had hashed out at the cafe, but the kid was already across the room planting his fist in a dummy. He laughed.

"This is awesome!" He shouted, twisting his body to land a cross punch. His elation was clear on his face.

Erza and Natsu wore oddly similar expressions. Pride and excitement were spelt out in the tilt of their chins and the set of their mouths.

"I look forward to training him," she said, nudging Natsu's shoulder. "Maybe someday he'll even pass you."

Natsu smiled, "I know he will." He waited a second for effect. "When I'm seventy." Erza laughed then. She challenged Natsu to a fight then, which he countered by inviting her to Saturday's Fairy Tail Banks tournament. She agreed to think about it when Milliana returned from the office with papers and a measuring tape. Another two hours later and Natsu had his son signed up for karate classes, sword work, and fitted for a clean white gi. It was then that Erza's first students showed up, and she hurried to change. The head of security stuck around to watch her first class, sitting with his son and pointing out little incorrect steps of Erza's students and admiring the katana hung on her office wall.

Then, he check his watch.

"Hey, Milliana," Natsu called, catching the younger sister's attention, "I need to head out. I'll get Clay late tonight."

"Sure," she said, "we'll be here."

"Great," the man replied. He waved his phone. "I sent Erza a text with my room information so one of you can get stuff for Clay if necessary." He dug in his pocket for a moment before tossing over a key. "That's to our apartment."

"Spiffy," Milliana replied. Both adults glanced to where the kid was still enamored with the motions of the class. "Don't worry, Natsu-_san. _He'll be safe here." Natsu nodded giving the ok and declining Milliana's offer to drive him back to work. In his head, his stomach told him one time in a crazy driver's car was enough. The man agreed whole-heartedly with his nausea. Anyway, the walk wasn't too far and the weather was mild.

However, not even a whole block from his workplace, a female voice caught his attention. He glanced around, seeing nothing but dark evening sky, rush hour traffic, and the select weekday stragglers.

"-won't! Stop it-_mmph!_" The voice sounded angry and defiant but scared nonetheless. Natsu, by some good samaritan urge in his heart, couldn't help but head toward the ally where the cry originated from. The voices became clear as he neared there, one a male and the other something he vaguely recognized.

"-answer to me. You're in with me deep, sweet cheeks, you don't have an escape." These words were followed by another protest that was frantic.

"I won't do it, Sting. There has to be a limit."

"You're mine, Lucy Heartfilia-Dreyar. You don't say where the limit is. I do." The last statement was little more than a growl.

Then there was a scream.

"_No! Sti-!" _Natsu reached the alley and peered carefully around the corner to see a blonde woman pressed up against the wall by a platinum blonde haired man. She was grappling against his hold on his wrists, fighting to keep her clothes on as he forced his tongue down her throat. His hands took every opportunity to slip past her guard and rip apart her outfit. Natsu flinched as the man bashed her head against the wall. She turned to head toward him then, her face lit by a flickering streetlamp.

She was Laxus' sister.

Natsu paused for a short moment, listening to the words the man forced out of his mouth between assaulting Lucy's neck and mouth.

"This is your lesson, sweet cheeks," he murmured darkly, "You do as I say, or there will be..." He bit her collarbone harshly. Lucy yelped, a tear streaking down her cheek. She shoved against the man's chest.

"Please, sto-stop!" Lucy begged. She tried to lift a knee, but the man caught her actions. He snickered.

"Consequences."

Lucy let out a dry sob, her struggles dying out as she squeezed her eyes shut as if to pretend the man, her apparent employer or something (Natsu wanted to say boyfriend, but her reactions to their interactions didn't quite fit) wasn't in the process of raping her.

Either way, rape was not something Natsu would tolerate, especially while he could stop it.

"Sting, please! N-no! Stop!" Lucy was practically screaming now, but a glance around the street and the heavy traffic revealed no one but him was around to stop it. He stepped out of his hiding place in the shadows, moving along the wall. An empty Coke can was lying on the ground. Natsu kicked it.

The man jumped at the sound, spinning around and blocking Lucy with his body. However, the action was not protective, merely a movement to hide the crime in progress.

"Who are you?" the man demanded. His left hand moved toward his pocket; Natsu didn't respond. The man, Sting, didn't wait for one. "Get away from here. This isn't your business." Natsu didn't move. "Now!"

The demand was met with a laugh.

"Maybe I don't know what exactly is going on here," Natsu said slowly, stepping forward toward the two, "But I believe the lady asked you to stop."

Sting growled and he too advanced. Lucy slumped to the ground as soon as her assaulter's body wasn't pressing her against the brick alley wall. She gasped for breathe, hands clutching at her rapidly beating heart.

"I don't believe it's any of your damn business," Sting countered. From his waistband, he pulled a 9-millimeter handgun and pointed it casually at Natsu. He nodded his head toward the ally mouth. "And if you'd like to see tomorrow, I suggest you leave it that way."

Natsu sighed. "Listen, man, just let the girl go."

"Fuck!" Sting shouted, "I said just let the damn bitch go and get the hell out of here!"

"Alright," Natsu seemed to concede. He turned to leave, hearing the gun cocked and aimed toward the back of his head. "I won't think acting like I'm going to leave will fool you."

Sting cocked and eyebrow. "What- _shit!" _

Natsu spun. He caught Sting's wrist, dragged the man forward. His fingers pressed into the pressure point on the blonde's wrist. Sting dropped the gun. It skittered across the ground, disappearing into the dark corners of the alley.

Natsu's right fist met his face.

Sting dropped back, clutching at his hand. Natsu landed a kick in his stomach. Sting coughed loudly.

"I told you," he said in ragged tone, struggling to hide the wheezing in his voice, "not to get involved!" He lunged forward, landing a solid punch to Natsu's jaw. The Fairy Tail Banks head of security caught the man's fist on his retreat and slammed his foot down on Sting's instep. He hooked his elbow into the man's temple, twisted his body, and landed another hit to his opponent's jaw. Sting landed hard on the ground, his back on the opposite wall to Lucy.

Natsu stood over Sting.

"Take some time to think about what you've done," he sneered. Then he turned, leaving the man falling unconscious to take care of Lucy. She was crying, her eyes wide open and glued on Sting. Little scratches were on her knees and hands. Hiccups wracked her body.

"Hey, Miss Dreyar, right?" Natsu said softly, leaning down next to her. He didn't know if the formal address would catch the woman's attention, but Lucy turned mechanically, blinking as she forced herself to register someone else's presence. "My name is Natsu Dragneel." Lucy nodded once, her eyebrows furrowed in dazed thought. "I'm the new head of security at your brother's company. Gray Fullbuster is my partner." The ends of his sentences went up in intonation as if he were asking a question. Lucy shook her head, blinking rapidly.

Natsu tried again. "Miss Lucy?"

At the sound of her name, the blonde woman jumped, throwing her arms around Natsu's shoulders. She was trembling violently, her fingers digging into his back as she clutched onto him. Natsu eased down, resting his back against the ally wall as the woman cried into his shoulder. He said nothing, merely kept a comforting arm on her back and the other on her shoulder. Lucy let out a joked sound, her head rising just slightly from where she had tucked it against his chest.

"St-Sting?" She asked, pain and worry in her voice. Natsu shook his head.

"He's still here."

Lucy's fingers tightened their hold on the back of his suit jacket. "Did you kill him?" She asked. Natsu couldn't tell if she sounded hopeful or mournful.

"No," he answered, "just unconscious." Lucy sighed, a relieved sound; however, her body did not relax. Natsu shifted her in his arms, moving to stand up slowly.

"Let me take you to your brother, ok?" Natsu said. His words were gentle, but he didn't really leave any room for argument. Lucy paused for a long moment, eyes tracing out Sting's fallen form. Then, she let go of Natsu and attempted to take a step.

She fell right back into the head of security's arms. Natsu caught her easily, keeping his arms in completely neutral territory as he pulled her up bridal style. Lucy barely protested, allowing him to talk to her, making rather one-sided small talk just to keep her awake and out of shock as they made their way the couple hundred feet to Fairy Tail's corporate offices.

It wasn't until the elevator doors opened that Lucy really woke up. Her reaction was to start thrashing and screaming. Natsu fought to keep a grip on her and protect her from smashing her head into something, but the hysterical woman was hard to contain. He couldn't blame her. Even in her panicked state, it was clear to him that she knew a thing or twenty about self defense. He could feel a bruise starting to form on his ribs where she bashed her elbow into him, barely missing his zyphoid process.

"Let go of me!" Lucy screamed. Natsu did as she asked, but she fell forward. He caught her before she landed face first on the elevator floor. She screamed again before going limp as Natsu half-dragged her toward Laxus' office door. He knocked with his foot. The door opened quickly.

"Oh no, Lucy!" Mirajane rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Lucy and bringing her and Natsu into Laxus' office. The soon-to-be CEO stood and rushed forward too, taking his sister from Natsu's grip. The pink-haired man let the woman go easily, watching as those close to her moved to take care of her as if this was a common occurrence. He blanched. Maybe it was.

"What happened?" Laxus demanded. He gripped Lucy's shoulder. "Lucy, what happened?"

"Nothing!" She shouted. Her eyes scanned the room, landing untrustingly on Natsu. Laxus grabbed her chin and forced his sister to look at him. He demanded answers again.

"I told you, it was nothing. I would have been fine!" Lucy crossed her arms, fighting to keep a brave face on. Natsu took a breath and held it, waiting. Laxus seemed to be doing the exact same thing.

Lucy's shoulders started to shake, and then a lonesome wail pierced the tense atmosphere.

"It-it was S-Sting," she breathed, hiccupping, "We were t-talking about the dru- erm..." -her eyes shot back to Natsu- "the deal and my part in it. He was angry an-and he threatened me." She froze, tears falling down her face. "H-he tried to teach me obedience by...by...!" She couldn't finish her sentence, but the ending was clear enough. Mira rushed to Lucy's side, rubbing her arms and whispering comforting words to her. Laxus turned around, revealing his furious face to Natsu. The new head of security gave him a serious look that confirmed what had happened to Lucy. Laxus contained his roar of outrage.

"What did I say, Lucy?" He said in a low voice. "What did I say?" The woman didn't respond, merely turned her head into Mirajane's neck to hide her ashamed face. Mira shot her boyfriend a warning glance, telling him very clearly with her eyes that a pissing contest over Lucy's decisions was not what the blonde needed right now.

Suddenly, Lucy sat straight and started patting around beside her, turning her head side to side.

"Lucy?" Mirajane asked gently, "What's wrong?" Lucy snapped her head around to look at her brother's girlfriend.

"My purse!" She exclaimed, "Where is it?" All eyes turned to Natsu. He shook his head. "My purse!" Lucy's repetitive speech had her brother pacing, running his hands through his hair. Mirajane rubbed her hand up and down Lucy's arm, offering comfort.

"Hey, it's alright," Natsu said, hands spread in an accepting manner, "I'll just head back and get it. The alley isn't even a block from here." Laxus nodded, giving him permission.

"Thank you, Natsu," he said. He waved a hand toward the door, giving his newest employee permission to leave. Natsu did so, taking only a short second to glance back at the scene: Mirajane beside Lucy, arms around her, and Laxus kneeling in front of her, whispering to her. He shut the door.

The night was cooling off fast, traffic slowing down as Natsu turned back into the alley. He kept his glock raised, ready for that man, Sting, to be there with more people. He raised his flashlight, scanning the darkness quickly. The search revealed no people, but a purse was laying open, contents scattered, near where Sting had pressed Lucy against the wall. Just past that, he saw a 9-millimeter, cocked, laying on the ground. He picked it up, disabling the device. He scanned it with the light in his hand, reading the engraved writing on the side. Then, everything started to fall into place.

_Sting Eucliffe._

* * *

**Included in the next part: Lucy's side of the story so far. Lucy fans, your time has come!**

**Review, please!**


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